Close Encounters
by Pakmai
Summary: Gary is visiting some family in London. On his way back to the train station he sees something that breaks his kind heart, and meets someone new. Gary/OC. One-shot. (Probably).


**My friend recently got me into Miranda. And as much as I wanted to chuck a shoe at my TV because Miranda and Gary MUST HAPPEN, I also adore Gary as a character. He's the most lovable, goofy character I've seen on TV for a long time. Today I encountered a Miranda & Gary YouTube video set to a 'Someone Like You', as done by Boyce Avenue. It was really moving to me, and this just sort of came to me. In my little headcannon, Gary and Miranda really are just friends. Close friends, but there's no romantic spark there. And there is an OC in this mostly because there is no way I could ever write Miranda. This is probably super cheesy and strange, but that's what came out. And it's the first thing I've really written in about a year. Anyway, thanks for reading!**

**DISCLAIMER: The only character I own is the OC.**

* * *

This was a bad idea, she admitted to herself. Nine months ago she had been offered a promotion, but it meant moving from her home in the US to London. At least it was still an English speaking country and she had always wanted to visit London. And she was just coming off the end of a bad relationship. Which was only exacerbated by the fact that he didn't think they should have ended it. Amelia had now been in London six months and while things were going alright at her job, she was very lonely. Not the type to just go out and meet people, she was now in a different country, away from her family, and her friends. Most things were easy to adjust to, her job had paid for her relocation and found her a flat in London. So not even that was a problem. But here she was, on her way home from her job, sitting on the subway alone, listening to some incredibly sad, depressing love songs.

So caught up in her own thoughts, she barely noticed the silent tears coming down her cheeks until she saw a tissue being handed to her by an obviously masculine hand. Hastily pausing her music, she barely glanced at the owner of her hand. "Oh, um.. thanks.. sorry.." She took the tissue gently and wiped her cheeks and eyes, sniffling a little as she felt her face heat in embarrassment.

"Are you alright?" The man's voice was smooth, and low, full of concern for the random woman he saw silently crying on the train. Women only cried like that when the pain just became too much to bear, and that broke his heart a bit.

Amelia sniffled a little and just nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine, thanks. I mean.. obviously not, but it'll pass, I'm sure." She reassured, glancing briefly at the man, enough to see a bit of scruff, a square jaw and dark hair. "Thanks, for the tissue." She was just glad there weren't many people traveling at the moment and so none of those uncomfortable, furtive stares.

Shifting a little beside her, the man didn't seem to be going away. "Are you sure? I mean.. sometimes it helps to talk to a complete stranger. No judgment, and you can walk away whenever we get to your stop, if you like. The chances of seeing me again are pretty slim." He offered with a little smile, ducking his head down a little to better see her face.

Turning to finally get a good look at the man beside her, Amelia stares a little as she gets the full impact of his worried brown eyes, the shape of his face and the sad little worried smile on his face. His brown hair was slightly curly and looked soft to the touch. He was on the lean side of fit, but it was clear he took care of himself as well. And here she was, a complete wreck, which just made her feeling of despair worse, and renewed the tears coming to her eyes which she quickly averted. "It's ridiculous." She takes a deep breath before she decides that maybe it might be a good thing to get it off her chest. "I moved here from the US for a job. A really good job. They paid for everything, but I left behind my family and all of my friends. Not that I had many.. I'm not really good at socializing or going out and.. putting myself out there." She explained, motioning outward from herself as she talks about making friends. "I go to work, I go home, sometimes go to the store if I need something.. Watch TV at home.. Rinse, Wash, Repeat." She explained, not able to stop talking once she started and letting out a little sigh after she was done.

"Wow." The man said softly with a small smile as he looks at her. "I can see why you might be upset, then. Sounds like you have a pretty lonely life. But that was really brave, coming to a different country. I traveled abroad a bit after Uni, I know it can be hard to adjust to foreign countries sometimes. Don't give up on us just yet, yeah?" He asked, ducking his head a little and then reaching out with a tissue and tenderly wiping tears from her face.

Nodding a little, Amelia freezes as he wipes away her tears and she glances at him uncertainly. "I'm not giving up.. I guess it just all came together tonight, for some reason." She laughs lightly in her nervousness, shaking her head a little and blowing her nose gently, hoping in vain that she can stop sniffling.

"My name's Gary, by the way." The man said as he looks at her. "You're killing me with the tears.. I hate to see people in pain." He pauses, considering for a few moments. "This may seem a bit odd, but go with me for a moment. Where is your stop?" he asks as he glances up at the map and their next stop.

"I'm Amelia." She said automatically, laughing thickly and without humor. "I wish I could make them stop." She says with a bit of despair before she looks up at the map as well. "I've got three stops, and then mine." She says after a moment with a slight shrug.

Nodding a little, Gary smiles sadly as he looks at her. "Alright.. This is going to sound odd.. But how about.. just until you get off, I can be a shoulder for you to cry on, yeah?" He asks as he looks at her, turning a little toward her, and shifting to lay his arm along the back of the bench. "I won't speak, I won't do anything but be a warm body to give you some comfort. Sometimes we all need a hug, right?" He asks as he looks at her, lightly touching her opposite shoulder.

It would probably been better if he had never given her tissues, because now that she was aware of it, she couldn't seem to stop herself from crying. The offer was odd, but it helped a little because it meant there were still good people in the world. Glancing at him uncertainly for a moment, Amelia finally licks her lips and just nods silently, turning and pressing her face into his shoulder, her hand clinging to his over-shirt a little near where her hand was. After that, the flood gates opened, and she started to sob quietly into his shirt.

Gary looked down at her and he sighed a little, wondering how long it had actually been since someone offered this woman any sort of comfort. He curls one arm around her shoulders, and turns a little more so he can put his other arm around her as well, rubbing her back a little and putting his head down on her shoulder. "That's it.. just let it all out." He knows he said he wouldn't speak, but he can't resist those last soothing words before he falls silent and just holds the woman, rubbing her back a little with on hand, the thumb of his other hand rubbing back and forth on her shoulder a little.

The crying lasts for what feels like forever, and Amelia feels them go through one station before her sobs turn into more quiet tears. She had surely soaked a spot of his shirt by this point, but she couldn't give it up just yet. He offered, so he knew the risks. By the time they got to another stop, she had mostly stopped crying, and now just felt exhausted both physically and emotionally.

By the time they got to the third station, Gary realized that the woman in his arms, Amelia she said her name was, was asleep against him. Her hand had loosened in his shirt, and he could feel her easy breathing. Still, he didn't let her go. Seeing her phone still laying in her lap, he decided to do something very unlike him and moved one arm from around her to pluck it from her lap. Luckily for him it didn't have a lock on it, though silly for her, he mused. Still, he went into her contacts and quickly added his name, number, and email, sending himself a text from her phone so he would know what her number was, should it ever come up. Finishing up quickly, he places the phone back in her lap gently and rubbed her back a little more, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head before he took a deep breath. "Amelia?" He asked in a soft voice, pulling away a little to brush his fingers across her cheek. "Come on, time to wake up, darling, we're going to be at your stop soon."

Amelia stirred, feeling a little cramped, parched and stuffy headed, but she was warm. Slowly, she opened her eyes, staring at the shirt in front of her before she gasps and pulls back quickly. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry.." She said quickly as she realized that she fell asleep on the man. She rubbed her gunky eyes for a moment before she looked up at him.

Rather than anger or disgust that she expected, Gary just smiles a little at her. "It's alright, don't worry about it." He moves his arm back to the back of the bench and nods a little, "Do you feel any better?" he asks as he brushes some hair back from her face a little.

Nodding with a small blush, Amelia sniffles a little. "Yeah.. I am a little.." She smiles weakly as she looks at him. "Besides, you know.. post-crying horribleness." She says as she motions to her face.

"You look beautiful." Gary reassures honestly with a little smile as he looks at her. "I think your stop is coming up next." He says as he nods toward the little map. "I'm glad you feel better." He says softly as the car slowed. He stood up slowly and offered his hand down to her. "Come on.. up you get."

Amelia blinks a few times and then blushes a little more. "Oh. Thanks.." She glances at the board, and then gathers everything into her purse before taking his hands and standing slowly. It's only then that she realizes this man is enough taller than her that she has to tilt her head up a little to look into his eyes. It may only be three or four inches, but it was rare for her to find a man taller than her. Much less an attractive man. She lingers with her hands in his for a moment before releasing them. "Thank you, Gary. I'm glad there are still good people in the world." She reaches up to touch the damp spot on his shoulder. "Sorry about your shirt."

Gary just smiles a little and he nods a little, glancing over at the doors as they open. "It was a pleasure to help. Honestly." He reassures, leading her over to the doors. He waits until she's on the other side before saying. "Amelia." He feels guilty and the need to confess. "I hope you don't mind. I put my contact information into your phone. Call me, text me, or email me.. any time. I'll respond. I promise." He says, watching her as he puts his hands on either side of the door along the inside. "At least let me know you get home ok." He says as the doors start to close and he looks at them, wanting to join her on the other side but he knows he has to stay on, or he'll be late for his train.

Turning to look at him one last time, Amelia blinks a few times in shock, hoping that's all he did, but then she smiles a little and nods. "I will!" She says quickly before the doors close completely, taking a half-step toward it, before she stops herself. She lifts her hand and waves a little as the train starts to go, surprised at this odd sort of romantic, dream-state she seems to be in.

Matching the movement, Gary lifts his hand to wave to Amelia, watching her longingly until he can't see her anymore, returning to his seat and pulling out his own phone to put her number into his contacts. He almost texts her right then, but doesn't want to come across as some creepy stalker so he leaves it. There's something about her that just makes him want to be closer to her. Maybe it's just the weird spontaneous intimacy of the situation that would wear off, but she had gotten under his skin and he didn't even know anything about her. He knew though, that even if she didn't text, he wouldn't be forgetting her for a while.

~oOo~

Amelia goes back to her flat from the station, and once she's changed into more comfortable clothes and splashed some cold water on her face, she checks her phone. She finds the contact, but still wonders if it's all sort of a dream. Still, she gave her word, and after sitting down in front of the TV, sends off a quick text.

**I made it home alright.**

**I feel like tonight was some strange dream.**

**~Amelia**

Putting her phone aside, Amelia gets up to make herself something to eat, before returning to her couch to turn on her TV and find something to watch. After she puts her remote aside, she sees that her phone is blinking, telling her there's a message. Her heart skipping a beat, she takes a deep breath before picking it up to read it.

**I'm relieved. I feel the same. I don't want to take advantage and I didn't intend this, but, there was something, right?**

**-Gary**

Amelia lets out a sigh of relief as she reads the message, then she reads it again. There definitely seemed to be something there, at the end. She definitely felt something between them. Before responding, she finishes her food and then curls into the corner of the couch with her phone.

**Yes. At the end. I didn't want to leave. This is crazy. I don't even know you. Or your last name. Don't tell me it. Not tonight. I just want this feeling tonight.**

**~Amelia**

**God, I felt the same. I almost joined you on that platform, but I would have missed my train. Drink lots of water, ok? I'm still worried.**

**-Gary**

**I've already had one glass. I have another sitting beside me. It's sweet that you're worrying.**

**You don't live in London, then?**

**~Amelia**

**Surrey. I was just in London visiting family. Told you we weren't likely to run into each other. :)**

**-Gary**

**Do you live there with your family, then?**

**~Amelia**

**What, like a wife or something? I'm single, actually. Just some friends out here. Nothing else.**

**-Gary**

**I'm so sorry. I don't even know why I asked.**

**Not true. I asked because if you were in a relationship it would be easier for me not to like you so much. Are you always this nice to girls on the subway?**

**~Amelia**

**No. You're my first. I just couldn't stand it. I saw you crying. The only reason anyone cries silently like that is when the pain gets too much to bear. And it tore me apart to see a beautiful woman like you, alone, just crying.**

**-Gary**

**Oh. I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm kind of not? Maybe that's selfish. **

**Can I have a picture? There's one girl at work I'm sort of friends with. I'd like to talk to her about this, but I don't think she'll believe me.**

**~Amelia.**

Biting her lip a little, Amelia waits, not sure what possessed her to ask for a picture. And it was really more for her than for anyone else. She was still having a hard time believing that this guy was real, and she kept expecting the bubble to pop. She was starting to get tired though, crying having really taken it out of her. By the time the text came through, she had drifted off a little and jumped as her phone vibrated in her hand. Fumbling with it, she finally got it open and stared a little at the picture. Now that she could look at him unabashedly, she licked her lips.

He was obviously on a train at the moment, but it was a good picture. He had a smile on his face and a softness to his big brown eyes that just melted Amelia. She quickly saved the photo and set it to show up should he ever call her. A moment later another text comes to her from Gary, and she turns her attention back to it.

**Is that good enough? I'll expect one in return, but maybe tomorrow.**

**-Gary**

**Yes. The picture is lovely. Thank you.**

**Think I might turn in early tonight. I'm drifting already.**

**~Amelia**

**Then go to sleep. Seems like you've had a long day. Sweet dreams, Amelia.**

**-Gary**

**Thanks. Safe trip. Let me know that you got back ok, too. Goodnight.**

**~Amelia**

**Don't worry, I will. Goodnight.**

**-Gary**

Amelia had cleaned everything up, chugged another glass of water before she finished getting ready for bed and looked at the last text. She felt a little silly asking him to tell her when he got home. She didn't know him. Maybe it was just some weird connection with her mood that will be utterly ridiculous in the morning. Cuddling down into her blankets, she takes one last look at his picture and smiles a little before putting her phone on its charger and rolling over, hugging a pillow to her chest with a small sigh. At least sleep would come easily tonight.


End file.
